Earl Kesler mission on July 2, 1944

THE VECSES AERODROME MISSION

By Earl Kesler

Dear Editor Grant,

Your article, "Connecting the Dots to the 'Granger' picture, in the recent
"Intelligencer", was of considerable interest to me. It brought back
memories, and added to my understanding of the events of July 2,1944. I long had wondered what had become of
aircraft 29. Now it is evident that it
was the John Jensen crew. A former classified report from 376th Bomb Group
indicated that A/C 29 had engine trouble and turned back. The report states
only that, "at 1114 hours pilot radioed base saying crew was bailing out
at 44°15' N. l8°23'E. The report also said that A/C 43 was hit by flak on bomb run, caught fire, and exploded. I was
the navigator on the Frank Rutherford crew, Squadron 513. We were on that July 2, 1944 mission to
bomb Vecses aerodrome, Budapest, Hungary. We were flying A/C 43. The trip toward target had
been uneventful with no opposition. Just after "bombs away" we
received a direct hit in the bomb bay.
The plane flew for a few moments, long enough for Bombardier Harry
Chernik to get the nose wheel door open and for nose gunner Marion
Oberling to get out of his turret. Chernik jumped. The plane then exploded trapping Oberling and me in the nose section. With a boost from me, he was able
to get out. At first I was pinned in but then the spinning action released me.
I fell free for as long as possible, then opened the chute and landed on the
roof of a small one story concrete building. The payload that day consisted of
20-pound fragmentation bombs designed to scatter and damage parked aircraft. They
were still exploding as I landed. Shrapnel from one that apparently was behind
me passed through both legs, shattering the lower tibia. I managed to get off the building and
through a blasted-open door to away the end of the explosions. Many years later,
a Hungarian historian determined that the building was a garage. The historian,
Geza Zainko is one of a group who active research events of World War TI and
who were in the process of writing an account of the air war over Hungary from
the viewpoints of the airmen involved. These include Hungarian, Russian,
German, British, American and others. I was first in touch with Zainko and
associates in the mid 1990's. They asked me to supply my recollections of
events, which I did. Subsequently, they sent me a large amount of information.
Apparently, their archives were extensive. For example there is a listing of all allied aircraft shot
down over Hungary, which details type, manufacturer, crew, etc. Zainko located the site of the
anti-aircraft battery, which apparently fired the shell which scored the direct
hit on our aircraft. He sent copies of file photos of the tail section of a
downed B-24. The serial number is plainly visible, 51151, unmistakably ours. I
eventually learned of the fate of other crew members. Tail gunner Lawrence Davis, ball turret gunner Clifford
Fenn, radioman James Van Bibber, and engineer James Huey lost their lives either immediately or shortly after the
explosion. Top turret gunner Gene Doshier suffered severe wounds and burns on
feet, legs and hands but survived.
Copilot Roger Bullard had burns and a fractured pelvis from which he
recovered. Pilot Rutherford, bombardier Chernik, and gunner Oberling were not seriously injured.

After the bombs stopped exploding I was picked up by two
Hungarian soldiers. They assisted me to a truck on which I was transported to
an aid station along with some wounded civilians. Later, I was taken by
ambulance (along with Gene Doshier) across city to a hospital. I have since
learned that it was called Military Hospital Eleven, located about six blocks
west of the Danube and near the South Rai1way Station. It apparently was an
auxiliary to another large military hospital located elsewhere in the city. We
were fortunate to be in the smal1er No. I I. As allied airmen were captured the
most seriously hurt were brought to the hospital and treated until able to move
out and into channels leading to prisoner of war camps. Because we were
considered serious, Doshier and I remained there until evacuation in
mid-November. Usually there were 35 to 40 allied airmen in the hospital ward.

We were treated well. The medical staff was compassionate
and kind. The resources were limited, however, they did a good job considering
the circumstances. Many of the nurses appeared to be middle-aged volunteers.
Some befriended us in small but appreciated ways. Dr. Lajos Placsko and Dr. Imiry Sukovathy apparently were assigned as our main doctors. I believe that
Dr. Sukovathy saved my life. After about two weeks my right leg wound worsened
with rampant infection. Dr. responded
to an emergency call from the nurses on a Saturday evening. He was in formal
evening clothes, having left a dinner party. He worked on me for more than an
hour, opening the cast, inserting drainage tubes, applying sulfa (they had no
penicillin). Thereafter my condition improved slowly; eventually I was able to
walk.

Russian troops were approaching Budapest. Therefore we
were evacuated on November 17th, 1944. We were moved by train to Gyor in
western Hungary. There we were turned over to a small detachment of German
soldiers whose function was to move prisoners into the regular German prison
camp network. I ended up in Stalag Luft I on December 27. From there we were
liberated by Russian troops the following May.

******

In September 2000, I went to Budapest accompanied by my
wife, Wilna, our Son and his family.
We were greeted with open arms and treated as VIP's. Zainko published a booklet outlining my
story in detail. There was a welcoming ceremony followed by a reception and
tour of the "old" airport, the one which had been rebuilt after the
war and was still in use. There was coverage by press, radio and TV. The
airport manager himself conducted the tour. The "old" facility
adjoins the newer Ferihegy International airport. They seem appreciative of my
stated purpose in returning to express my thanks for the humane care and
treatment afforded me many years ago.
An additional highlight - we met and had lunch with the widow of Dr.
Sukovathy, a daughter of Dr. Placsko and a niece of one of the nurses.